Kievan Rus' (
Russian ??´?????? ????,
romanised Kievskaya Rus' ,
IPA&_160;
[rus?]), also written as
Kyivan Rus' (
Ukrainian ??´?????? ????), or
Kievan Russia[1] was a medieval state dominated by the city of
Kiev from about 880 to around the middle of the
12th century founded by the Swedish vikings called "
Rus'". From the
historiographical point of view, Rus' polity is considered by some historians an early predecessor of three modern East Slavic nations
Belarusians,
Russians and
Ukrainians.
[2] The reigns of
Vladimir the Great (980-1015) and his son
Yaroslav I the Wise (1019-1054) constitute the
Golden Age of
Kiev, which saw the acceptance of
Orthodox Christianity and the creation of the first East Slavic written
legal code, the
Russkaya Pravda. The early Rus' were most likely a Scandinavian warrior-elite that ruled a majority of Slavic,
Finnic and
Baltic subjects.
[3] Scandinavians continued to remain in control until at least the mid-
11th century.
[4]The Rus' people had probably dominated what is now northwestern Russia since the 8th century. In the early ninth they became loosely organized under the Rus' Khaganate, which may be regarded as a predecessor state to the Kievan Rus'.[5] According to the Primary Chronicle, the earliest chronicle of Kievan Rus', a Varangian (Viking) named Rurik first established himself in Novgorod, located in modern Russia (he was selected as common ruler by several Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes) in about 860 before moving south and extending his authority to Kiev, the capital of modern day Ukraine. The chronicle cites him as the progenitor of the Rurik Dynasty. The Primary Chronicle says
In the year 6367 (859) Varangians from over the sea had tribute from Chuds, Slavs, Merias, Veses, Krivichs...
In the year 6370 (862) [They] [d]rove the Varangians back beyond the sea, refused to pay them tribute, and set out to govern themselves. But there was no law among them, and tribe rose against tribe. Discord thus ensued among them, and they began to war one against the other. They said to themselves, "Let us seek a prince who may rule over us, and judge us according to custom." Thus they went overseas to the Varangians, to the Rus. These particular Varangians were called Rus, just as some are called Swedes, and others Normans and Angles, and still others Goths [Gotlanders], for they were thus named. The Chuds, the Slavs, the Krivichs and the Ves then said to the Rus, "Our land is great and rich, but there is no order in it. Come reign as princes, rule over us". Three brothers, with their kinfolk, volunteered. They took with them all the Rus and came.
